AfriForum tested the water of various towns in the Eastern Cape from August to October 2020 to determine the quality of this town’s drinking water (blue drop status) and sewage water (green drop status).
This project was even more important this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and research that shows that this virus could be traced in sewage systems, meaning that one can identify focus points.
“We could determine that the drinking water in the following areas, Aliwal North, Elliot, Jeffreys Bay and Port Elizabeth complies with the minimum standards and does not contain harmful bacteria. AfriForum will continuously test the water quality because residents have a constitutional right to clean drinking water,” says Arno Greyling, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Eastern Cape.
Blue drop results
These results indicate that the drinking water of all the towns of the Eastern Cape that were tested, is clean.
| Eastern Cape | |||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Aliwal North | Walter Sisulu LM | – | – | – | – | – | Phosphates >25 ppm | Clean | Clean |
| Barkly East | Senqu LM | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | – | – |
| Burgersdorp | Walter Sisulu LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Cradock | Inxuba Yethemba LM | – | – | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | – |
| Elliot | Sakhisizwe LM | E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean |
| Jeffreys Bay | Kouga LM | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean |
| Middelburg | Steve Tshwete LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Molteno | Inkwanca LM | – | – | E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | – |
| East London | Buffalo City Metro | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Port Elizabeth | Nelson Mandela Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | Clean | Clean |
| Queenstown | Lukhanji LM | – | – | – | – | – | Faecal coliform bacteria
>3 000 |
– | – |
| Sterkstroom | Enoch Mgijima LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Stutterheim | Amahlathi LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Steynsburg | Gariep LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Tarkastad | Tsolwana LM | – | – | E. coli | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | – |
Green drop results
According to AfriForum’s green drop results 3 sewage treatment plants that were tested do not comply with the prescribed microbiological standards.
| Eastern Cape | |||||||||
| Place | Municipality | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Barkly East | Senqu LM | – | – | 2 000 | Clean | Clean | – | – | – |
| Burgersdorp | Walter Sisulu LM | – | – | – | – | – | Clean | – | – |
| Cradock | Inxuba Yethemba LM | – | – | – | 2 000 | >1 000 | Faecal coliform bacteria >1 500 | – | – |
| Elliot | Sakhisizwe LM | 36 000 | Rejected | 4 000 | – | – | Clean | Clean | – |
| Jeffreys Bay | Kouga LM | 34 000 | – | Clean | Clean | High phosphate content
>30 000 |
E. coli >1 000 | >1000 | >1 000 |
| Langkloof (Joubertina) | Kou-Kamma LM | Clean | 11 500 | >2 400 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Molteno | Inkwanca LM | – | – | – | Clean | >30 000 | Faecal coliform bacteria >1 500 | – | – |
| Port Elizabeth | Nelson Mandela Metro | Clean | Clean | Clean | – | >30 000 | – | >1 000 | >1 000 |
| Queenstown | Lukhanji LM | – | – | – | – | – | Faecal coliform bacteria >3 000 | – | – |
| Aliwal North | Walter Sisulu LM | – | – | – | – | – | E. coli >50 000 | >1 000 | >1000 |
| Tarkastad | Tsolwana LM | – | – | – | – | High phosphate content | – | – | – |
The civil rights organisation voiced its concern over sewage treatment plants in the municipalities that do not comply with the prescribed standards, namely Jeffreys Bay, Port Elizabeth and Aliwal North. “We will further investigate the non-compliance and act where necessary,” says Greyling.
“AfriForum’s national blue and green drop project focuses on the state of drinking water and sewage treatment plants in towns. This project does not necessarily focus on the condition of the plant itself, but rather on the quality of the water that is supplied after this process as the end product in the form of drinking water and treated sewage water,” concludes Greyling.
As the custodian of water the Department of Water and Sanitation does not fulfil its obligation to enforce legislation when municipal authorities are the guilty parties. AfriForum requests residents of the Eastern Cape to give this organisation a mandate to continuously monitor the water quality. SMS “Clean water” to 45342 (R1) and support this action.